Rihanna

Biography

R&B Duo: Rihanna & Chris Brown?

After adamantly denying being involved with actor Josh Hartnett, Rihanna is romantically linked to 18-year-old R&B star Chris Brown (pictured at Clive Davis' Pre-Grammy Party). "He's one of my closest friends in the industry," Rihanna tells Allure in January. "He makes me feel like a teenager. I have to act and think like an adult so much. He makes me feel young again." In February, the pair is spotted awfully close in a pool in Jamaica.

March

Rihanna Covers Cosmo

Now a household name, Rihanna appears on the cover of Cosmopolitan, with newfound self-confidence. "A year ago, I would have sat here in my shell with my hands in my lap and been very shy," she explains to the magazine. "But now, I can be goofy and outgoing." The Grammy winner also gets to celebrate another single, "Don't Stop The Music," heating up the Billboard charts, reaching No. 3 – right behind Chris Brown's "With You."

June

A 'Very Close' Relationship

Continuing her magazine cover domination, Rihanna appears on the cover of Elle, where she briefly unseals her glossy lips regarding her "friendship" with Brown. "We've always been friends," the singer, who is currently on tour with Kanye West, tells the magazine, "but we're very close now."

Rihanna's Release

Having not uttered a word about her assault, Rihanna steps forward in fashion, before breaking her silence about the incident. "This happened to me...It can happen to anyone," the singer, 21, tells ABC's Diane Sawyer. Rihanna – whose latest album, Rated R, sells 181,000 in its first week – adds of Brown, "He was definitely my first big love."

2010

January 31

Grammy Repeat

Rihanna wins her second Grammy award for "Run This Town," a collaboration with Kanye West and Jay-Z. "I just want to thank Kanye and Jay-Z for giving me the opportunity to be apart of such a wonderful song," she says in her acceptance speech. In 2008, she won her first Grammy in the same category with Jay-Z for the hit, "Umbrella."

Rihanna Plays the Field

After her traumatic relationship with Brown, Rihanna finds love again with Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp. "I have such a chaotic life, but at the end of the day, that is just my peace," she says of her "easy" relationship with Kemp. "It keeps me sane, really, talking to him and talking to my family." By the end of the year, the couple calls it quits.

November 16

Getting Loud

Almost a year after the release of her last effort, Rihanna tops the charts with Loud, which boasts hit singles, "What's My Name?" and the Grammy-winning dance recording "Only Girl (In the World)". "What Loud showcases best…is a star undefeated by her worst circumstances – and finding redemption in exactly the kind of pop nirvana that made her famous in the first place," raves EW of her fifth album, which earns her album of the year and best pop vocal album of the year Grammy nominations in 2011.

2011

October 11

A Sexy Distinction

Though Rihanna is crownedEsquire's Sexiest Woman Alive, the singer alleges that her appeal is entirely unintentional. "At the end of a concert, I don't feel like I've been this sexy thing," the star demurs. "Really, I don't even think about it."

2012

May 18

Reporting for Duty

Rihanna jumps from the record studio to the silver screen, making her acting debut in the big screen adaptation of the board game Battleship, opposite Taylor Kitsch and Alexander Skarsgard. Despite the star-studded cast, the film opens in second place, grossing $26 million during its first weekend.